About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

The National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates are calculated from data collected in a national survey of employers. Data on occupational employment and wages are collected from employers of every size, in every state, in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, in all industry sectors. These estimates are cross-industry estimates; each occupation's employment and wage estimates are calculated from data collected from employers in all industry sectors. Self-employed persons are not included in the survey or estimates. The May 2020 OEWS estimates are based on a “hybrid” structure that is a combination of the 2010 and 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, and are based on the Office of Management and Budget's revised metropolitan area definitions, based on the results of the 2010 decennial census.

The National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates consist of the following:

SOC Code Number: the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system's unique, six-digit (plus hyphen) numerical identifier for each occupation. When the SOC code is a link, clicking on it leads to a page that contains the occupational definition and national cross-industry estimates.
Occupation Title: a descriptive title that corresponds to the SOC code.
Group: the level of occupational detail (major group, minor group, broad level, detailed).
Employment: the estimated total occupational employment (not including self-employed).
Employment RSE: the Relative Standard Error of the employment estimate, a measure of the reliability or precision of the employment estimate. The relative standard error is defined as the ratio of the standard error to the survey estimate. For example, a relative standard error of 10 percent implies that the standard error is one-tenth as large as the survey estimate.
Employment per 1000 jobs: the number of jobs (employment) in the given occupation per 1,000 jobs in the given area.
Location Quotient: (State, metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan statistical area estimates only) the ratio of an occupation's share of employment in a given area to that occupation's share of employment in the U.S. as a whole. For example, an occupation that makes up 10 percent of employment in a specific metropolitan area compared with 2 percent of U.S. employment would have a location quotient of 5 for the area in question.
Median Hourly Wage: the estimated 50th percentile of the distribution of wages based on data collected from employers in all industries; 50 percent of workers in an occupation earn less than the median wage, and 50 percent earn more than the median wage.
Mean Hourly Wage: the estimated total hourly wages of an occupation divided by its estimated employment, i.e., the average hourly wage.
Mean Annual Wage: the estimated total annual wages of an occupation divided by its estimated employment, i.e., the average annual wage.
Mean RSE: the relative standard error of the mean wage estimates, a measure of the reliability or precision of the mean wage estimates. The relative standard error is defined as the ratio of the standard error to the survey estimate. For example, a relative standard error of 10 percent implies that the standard error is one-tenth as large as the survey estimate.
Percentile Wage Estimates: (National estimates only) A percentile wage estimate shows what percentage of workers in an occupation earn less than a given wage and what percentage earn more. For example, a 25th percentile wage of $15.00 indicates that 25 percent of workers (in a given occupation in a given area) earn less than $15.00; therefore 75 percent of workers earn more than $15.00. More about percentile wages.

For more information about the OEWS program and estimates, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021